At least 4 robbery suspects still at large

Published 8:00 pm, Tuesday, July 6, 2010

Extreme heat didn't stop criminals from committing four separate, seemingly unrelated robberies in the city Tuesday.

One suspect was captured in the string of robberies -- which were a bank robbery, two strong-arm robberies and an attempted robbery -- but as many as four suspects are still at large, police said.

Hafi Edge, 30, 0f 116 George St., was captured at 10:46 a.m., shortly after stealing cash from a maintenance man who was refilling an ATM machine at Hot Dog Plus, 24 Belden Ave., according to police.

Edge snatched approximately $1,000 from the 62-year-old ATM man's hand and Edge, who was not carrying a weapon, indicated to the victim that he had a gun, police said.

The victim ran after Edge but lost sight of him, police said. Officers caught up with Edge as he was emerging from a wooded area near an embankment on Cross Street, police said. The victim was able to positively identify Edge as the suspect, according to police.

The cash has not yet been recovered, police said.

Edge was charged with first-degree robbery, second-degree larceny and breach of peace. He posted $5,000 bond and will appear in court July 16.

In another incident, police responded to an attempted robbery at 2:07 p.m. on Testa Place. The victim of the robbery told police that a black man who was concealing his face with a black T-shirt pulled out a silver handgun and demanded money, police said.

Instead of giving up his cash, the victim ran south on Ely Avenue and called 911, police said. The suspect -- who had short cropped hair and black jeans -- ran in the opposite direction, and police have not yet found him, according to police.

At 3:32 p.m., two men robbed Fairfield County Savings Bank, 26 Chestnut Hill Road, police said. One of the men slipped the teller a note, demanding money and insinuating that he had a gun, police said. The other suspect stood by the door and acted as a lookout, police said.

The suspects fled on Newtown Avenue with an undisclosed amount of cash, according to police.

Both suspects were white males who appeared to be in their 20s, and both men were more than six feet tall, according to Sgt. Art Weisgerber, the lead investigator on the case.

One of the men was wearing a green hoodie, white basketball style shorts, white sneakers, a dark T-shirt, a grey baseball hat, sunglasses, and he had a goatee that could be fake, Weisgerber said.

The other suspect had a medium build and wearing a dark blue "AERO" 87 hooded sweatshirt with the zipper in the front, according to Weisgerber.

The final robbery was reported to police at 9:39 p.m.

A Laura Street resident reported he had pulled his car into his driveway, and two black men approached him while he was exiting the vehicle, police said.

One of the men pulled out a silver handgun and demanded money, police said. The victim gave the suspects his wallet, and the suspects ran in an unknown direction, according to police.

The victim later found his wallet in the road, and he told police that the suspects stole approximately $20 from him, police said. He could only give police a vague description of the suspects, police said.